NEON expands aerial work, planning hangar in Boulder

Researchers work at a National Ecological Observatory Network field site. The Boulder-based group operates 106 field sites across the United States in an effort to gather ecological data from around the country. (Courtesy National Ecological Observatory Network)

A little more than five years after settling its headquarters in Boulder, the National Ecological Observatory Network is more than halfway through a nearly $434 million effort to build a continental-scale laboratory.

NEON's federally funded efforts involve placing 106 field sites and instruments on land and in waterways across the United States, incorporating satellite readings into aerial and on-site measurements, and accumulating and disseminating that vast data set via a free, public portal.

Those actions have coincided with a quiet expansion in Boulder.

NEON — which gathers data on the impacts of climate change, land use change and invasive species on natural resources — now employs close to 300 people in 100,000 square feet of space at 1685 38th St. and a neighboring property in east Boulder.

And the organization is growing.

Permits recently approved by the city of Boulder show that the 501(c)(3) corporation is outfitting an airport hangar at 3330 Airport Road.

By October, that space is expected to be available to house aircraft leased by NEON and allow for some aerial operations employees to work closer to the Boulder facility.

Currently, that instrumentation work is being done in Broomfield and at the Grand Junction headquarters of Twin Otter International, a firm that buys Twin Otter planes and leases them to the science and research community.

The 106 sites were plotted across 20 "eco-climatic domains" — such as tundra in northern Alaska and desert southwest in the southern chunk of Arizona — with each geographic area also housing a small regional office.

Each domain has at least three research sites, one serving as the core site and two others that can be relocated every 10 years. Additionally, there are 46 aquatic sites interspersed.

A research tower, ranging in height, may be the most visible aspect of each site in addition to a small boardwalk and a Tuff Shed-like instrument hut. Sensors placed in the soil and on the tower can collect approximately 540 different measurements.

Airborne Observation Platform officials have conducted engineering test flights since 2012, taking readings in California, Colorado, Florida and Massachusetts. Some preliminary data from those sites have been shared with 20 to 25 researchers.

The planes' slow flight typically is at 1,000 meters above the ground with each flight lasting about four hours. The crew includes two pilots and two operators.

The 106 sites will be monitored annually by one of NEON's two Twin Otters. The third twin-engine plane is available to support scientists who receive grants for related projects.

Each aircraft is equipped with an imaging spectrometer, a waveform light detection and ranging instrument and a high-resolution digital camera, Kampe said. NEON supplements its findings with a series of existing national data sets and satellite readings.

The openness of the NEON project is key, Walton said, noting the goal is to produce a substantive public database. The trove of readings is meant to help everyone gain a better understanding on ecological changes.

"Right now, we're the only ones looking at change over time on this scale," she said.

Partnering with others

NEON supplements its own research efforts with the ecological-based scientific endeavors of others. In 2012, NEON partnered with a team of scientists at Colorado State University to study the effects of the High Park Fire.

As part of the research, NEON's airborne system pored over the 136-square-mile burn area to return 3-D imagery and ecological data down to one yard, university officials said.

"Wildfires are an increasingly important environmental issue in Colorado and across the country," Joyce Berry, dean of the Warner College of Natural Resources at CSU, said in a statement at the time. "This research project will enable land managers, policy makers and scientists to study the High Park wildfire's behavior and impact in unprecedented scope, and help create solutions for restoration and mitigation."

CSU officials involved in the research were not available for comment for this article.

NEON officials plan to check in with Colorado State University researcher in a couple months. The results could come within the next year, Walton said.

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